No honeymoon period in 100 days of Donald

Did US president pass his first test?

WASHINGTON: Thrice-married Donald Trump didn’t get a fourth honeymoon as the 45th president of the US.

Instead, the political newcomer will mark his 100th day in office today as the most unpopular president in recent history, stymied by political missteps, an unco-operative Congress and a sceptical international community.

The president can point to a string of fulfilled campaign promises, from withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal to allowing the construction of a pipeline.

But his first 100 days have also seen a string of failures, including a botched ban on travellers from several Muslim-majority nations and the forced withdrawal of health care reform legislation.

Recently, Trump has shifted course on major foreign policy matters. In the last month alone, he bombed a Syrian military base, despite his expressed aversion to foreign military intervention, declined to declare China a currency manipulator and reiterated support for the Nato alliance he once declared superfluous.

An average of 87% of Republicans approve of Trump’s performance, even as he has the lowest average job approval of any president since World War II, with an average of 41% approval since taking office, according to pollster Gallup.

Trump is the first president to have an initial approval rating below 50% and hasn’t enjoyed a traditional “honeymoon period” where Americans of both parties give a new leader a chance.

The Trump administration is looking to tout the president’s wins as he marks 100 days in office and continued to seek victories with the unveiling this week of a tax cut proposal and action on his pledge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“He is fulfilling his promises and doing it at breakneck speed,” White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said on Sunday.

The fulfilment of campaign promises has kept Trump’s base happy, even as he remains broadly unpopular.

Despite the bumps, Trump’s team has declared victory in the first 100 days with progress on a number of key campaign promises aimed at promoting American industry and job creation and has sought to downplay perceived failures.

The White House points to a flurry of activity, including 28 bills signed into law and 30 executive orders, along with the filling of a long-standing Supreme Court vacancy.

“No matter how much I accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, & it has been a lot (including [the Supreme Court nomination]), media will kill!” Trump tweeted last week. – dpa